Glider launching system



Jam-:25, 1946. H TZ 2,402,918.

' GLIDER LAUNGHING SYSTEM Filed May 14, 1942 4 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR ARTHUR B. SCHULTZ ATTORNEY m 5 A. B. SCHULTZ I 2,402,913

GLIDER LAUNCHING SYSTEM Filed May 14, 1942 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 l8 INVENTOR ARTHURB. SCHUL T;

'ATTORNEY kzmmawzzz June 25, 1946.

APB. SCHULTZ 2,402,918 GLIDER LAUNCHING SYSTEM Filed May 14, 1942 I 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR I ARTHURB SCHULTZ. v

mntmm ATTORNEY GLIDER LAUNGHINQ SYSTEM Filed May 14, 1942 4 Sheets-Sheet v INVENTOR 6 ARTHUR B. Scnuuz f ATTORNEY Patented June 25, 1946 GLIDER LAUN CHIN G SYSTEM Arthur B. Schultz, Wilmington, Del., assignor to All American Aviation, Inc., Wilmington, Del., a corporation of Delaware Application May 14, 1942, Serial No. 442,933

Claims.

The invention relates to aviation and more particularly to a process and apparatus for launching and towing gliders by power driven aircraft.

According to a preferred form of the invention, a connection is established between the towing plane and the glider whereby to apply an accelerating force to the glider with minimum shock to the glider, to the tow plane and to the connecting equipment. For limiting the accelerating force an automatic winch is mounted on the glider, said winch automatically paying out line while maintaining a predetermined force on the line to provide time in which to accelerate the glider from stationary position to flying speed. To help absorb the shock, and especially to provide time to permit acceleration of the winch, the connecting line is made from material having, in addition to high tensile strength and high elasticity, long elastic memory. A material having such characteristics may be constructed from synthetic condensation polyamide fibers known commercially as nylon.

According to the invention, it is preferred to locate the winch on the glider and to provide means whereby the glider pilot may operate the winch. Suitable provision is made whereby the glider pilot may adjust the winch to set the number of relatively free revolutions which the winch may make while the nylon line is accelerating the winch. He may also adjust the brake on the winch which determines the maximum force applied to the nylon line for any pick-up operation. Provision may also be made for reeling in the line after the glider is launched, since the amount of line necessary to launch the glider may be in excess of that convenient or desirable for simple towing purposes.

According to the invention, the glider may be launched by a plane picking it up while flying over the ground station where the glider is located or the glider may be launched by a stationary towing plan-e, both plane and glider being located on a flying field.

When picking up the glider by a plane in flight no air field is necessary but simply a pick-up station and a relatively clear open space. For example, the pick-up station may comprise two poles set in the ground, supporting on their top a pick-up loop connected to the poles by releasable couplings. The glider is on the ground and. is connected to the loop by a line. The towing plane has a depending arm or boom having a grapple or hook and the plane is flown over the ground station to engage the pick-up loop between the poles. The line is automatically paid out by the winch on the glider until the glider is accelerated to the speed of the tow plane.

In case it is desired to tow a series of gliders by the same plane, the line may be transferred from the pick-up hook to another point on the towing plane and the tow plane may return to the station to pick up a second glider, secured to a ground loop, by the same technique used in picking up the first glider. The pilot of the first glider, however, will so manipulate his craft as to reduce the drag thereof on the tow plane while the second glider is being accelerated. Additional gliders may be picked up in the same way.

In some cases, all of the gliders to be picked up may be secured simultaneously to the same round loop and all of the gliders launched by the same picking-up operation. In this method, the several gliders may be connected by lines of different lengths so that the lines will tighten and apply accelerating force to the gliders one at a time.

When launching a glider by a plane on the ground in methods heretofore used a large airfield was required. In the present invention the tow line may be sufiiciently long and so arranged as to give sufficient slack to permit the tow plane to accelerate normally and approach its flying speed to cause the glider to take 01f. The winch may be so adjusted as to apply sufficient accelerating force to the glider to cause it to fly before the tow plane leaves the ground. After the glider is flying, the glider pilot so manipulates it as to reduce the drag thereof on the tow plane, which permits the tow plane to take off and attain a safe flying speed after which the glider is manipulated to again be towed normally by the tow plane. In case there are additional gliders to be launched by the same tow plane, additional lines of varying lengths may be connected from the tow plane to the additional gliders, these lines being so arranged as to launch the gliders one at a time.

The invention also consist in certain new and original features of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter set forth and claimed.

Although the novel features which are believed to be characteristic of this invention will be particularly pointed out in the claims appended hereto, the invention itself, as to its objects and advantages, and the manner in which it may be carried out, may be better understood by refering to the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, in which Fig. 1 represents diagrammatically a ground station showing a glider on the ground and an aircraft in flight approaching the ground station about to pick up the glider;

Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic View illustrating a position the glider may assume after it has been picked up and is being towed by the tow plane;

Fig. 3'is a longitudinal section through the nose of the glider illustrating the position of the glider pilot and the construction of the automatic winch;

Fig. 4 is a cross section through the axis of the winch;

Fig. 5 illustrates one manner in which a series of gliders may be picked up from the same ground station by the same tow plane;

Fig. 6 represents diagrammatically a plan viewof one flight formation which the gliders may take behind the towing plane;

Fig. '7 represents diagrammatically a vertical view of the formation illustrated in Fig. 5; and

Fig. 8 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the manner of launching a glider by a tow plane on the ground.

In the following description and in the claims, various details will be identified by specific names for convenience, but they are intended to be as generic in their application as. the art will wrmit.

Like reference characters denote like parts in the several figures of the drawings.

In the drawings accompanying and forming part of this patent, certain specific disclosure of the invention is made for purposes of explana tion, but it will be understood that the details may be modified in various respects without de-- parture from the broad aspect of the invention.

Referrin now to the drawings; and more particularly to Fig. 1, the towing plane is indicated by It and has depending therefrom an arm or boom I-l pivoted to the body of the plane. The boom has a grapple or hook i 2. The boom H is operated by the pilot of the plane or by a separate pick-up operator, and may be swung from the pick-up or operative position shown in Fig. 1 up within a longitudinal recess in the body of the plane to the storage or inoperative noeltion shown in Fig. 2.

The ground station indicated in general by I3 comprises two poles l4 set in the ground, for example, about 20 feet apart andextending about 28 feet into the air. Secured to the poles H? are flags I5 having releasable couplings I5 for releas-. ably holding a closed loop H. The loop I? has attached thereto a line I8 which extends to the nose of glider I9 shown resting on the ground. Referring now to Fig. 3, the glider I9 has a cockpit adapted to seat the pilot indicated by 20, the head of the pilot being surrounded by the usual glass enclosure 24 for visibility. Secured to the framework of the glider l9 and located in the nose 23 of the glider is a winch indicated in general by 25 on which the line I8 is wound. The line I8 passes through an eye 2! and is wound around the winch 25 as shown; The winch is controlled by the pilot 2d who operates a handle 25 and a foot pedal 27 in addition to the standard controls (not shown) for operating a glider.

Referring now also to Fig. 4, the automatic winch 25 comprises a frame 58 in which is journaled a drum 6! having flanges iii to hold a large number of convolutions of line 13. The drum 5% cooperates with an automatic brake denoted in general by 89 which retards the'unrcelingof the SI l drum. This automatic winch operates upon the same general principles as that described and claimed in Plummer application, Serial No. 333,081, filed May 3, 1948 now matured into Patent 2,373,413 of April 10, 1945. The inner end of line I8 is fixedly tied or otherwise secured to the surface of drum BI by a releasable coupling (not shown), which breaks in the event the drum becomes entirely unwound and excessive force is applied to the line I8.

The drum BI is fixedly carried by a shaft 52 journaled at one end in a bearing 53 mounted in the frame member and provided with a seal 55 and a cover 66. The drum 6i includes a cylindrical rim 6? connected by a web 68 to a hub as and has at one end a retaining flange ii. A second retaining flange i2 is attached to the rim 8? a by bolts I3. The drum 5i is suitably secured against axial or angular displacement on the shaft '52 and abuts a positioning shoulder is. Annula extensions I8 are secured to flanges ii and 'if-Z to provide for desired number of turns of line it). v

A brake plate 15 is attached to and carried by the drum 6 I, The brake plate :5 is provided with a plurality of circumferentially spaced lugs Hi which are set in notches 'i'l formed in lugs 18 which extend inwardly from the cylindrical portion 61. The plate I5 thus is capable of moving axially but is locked against angular movement relative to the drum GI.

The brake 8i! cooperates with the brake plate I5 nd includes a driving brake disc or frame 8I having a suitable friction lining 82 secured to its face and adapted to bear against the brake plate 15. The brake disc 8% is carried by (and in the. present embodiment is integral with) a hub 83 which carries a bearing 84 mounted on the shaft 52 and retained by a ring 85.

The hub 83 has a journal and bearing portion 86 which receives a bearing 88 positioned by a ring 9|. A sleeve 89 abutting a shoulder 90 on the shaft assists in positioning the bearing 88 on the shaft 62. The bearing and journal portion 86 is itself journaled in a bearing 81' mounted in frame 58 and secured by a ring 285. Thus the bearing 8! constitutes with the bearings 63 the main bearings for supporting the shaft 62 rotatably in the frame 58.

Cooperating with the brake disc 8! is a complementary brake disc or shoe 92 of annular form having frictional lining 93 on its face bearing against the brake plate I5. The brake disc 92 is resiliently urged lightly toward the brake plate I5 by three annularly disposed bolts 2I8 extending through the brake disc 92, the interior opening of the ring 15 and through a suitable opening in the brake disc 8|. Bolts 2I8 carry springs 2I2 bearing against the brake disc 8| and against an adjusting nut or nuts 2 I3.

Extending from the brake disc 92 is a plurality (in the present case three) of studs 94 which extend through openings in the brake disc 8 I Pivotally connected to each stud 94 by a pivot pin is an operating lever 96 which carries at the end of its shorter arm a roller 91 adapted to bear against a boss 99 projecting from the ad-- nected as by a, pivot pin I88 to a socket IIlI attached to an actuating rod I92 which extends through the journal and bearing portion 86.- The actuating rod I82 is connected by a spring I83 to a stud I84 which is threaded into a disc I85.

Upcnmovement of the disc I85 (effected in a manner'hereinafter to be described) in a direction away from the brake disc 8| (to the right as viewed in Fig. 4) the actuating rods I02 are moved in a similar direction to thereby rock the levers 96 causing the rollers 91 to bear upon their respective bosses 99 and to clamp the brake disc 92 and the brake disc III against the brake plate 15. Owing to the lug nd notch connection between the brake plate 15 and the drum 6|, the brake is thereby permitted to shift axially and allow the clamping action to take place.

In order to cause the actuating disc I to move outwardly and to apply the brake 80 upon a predetermined number of revolutions of the drum 6|, an automatic brake actuating mechanism is provided which will now be described.

The disc I05 is not-rotatably connected to the journal and bearing member 86 by a stud IIO which extends through the disc I05 and is threaded into the member 86. The disc I05 is mounted on a collar I H having a flange H2 at one end and a ring II3 at the other end, the disc I05 and collar III being thus permitted to have relative axial sliding movement which is limited in extent by the flange H2 and ing I I3.

The collar III is adjustably threaded onto an outer sleeve II4 and is positioned non-rotatably thereon by a spring I I5 adapted to enter into any one of a plurality of circumferentially spaced, axially extending notches or slots II6. The spring II5 can be raised out of its notch and the collar III turned in the outer sleeve II4 to adjust the axial position of the collar III and thereby adjust the time at Which the flange II2 strikes against the disc I05.

The outer sleeve I I4 is threaded onto an inner sleeve II1 by large screw threads which permit the sleeve I I4 to turn on the inner sleeve I I1 and to be advanced thereby in an axial direction. The inner sleeve H1 is non-rotatably secured to the shaft 62 as by a key H8.

Movement of the sleeve I I4 on the inner sleeve I I1 is limited by a flange I I9 at the inner end of the inner sleeve I I1 and by a ring I20 non-rotat ably secured on the shaft 62 as by a key I2I and a nut I23 and abutting the outer end of the sleeve II 1. In order to permit axial movement of the outer sleeve IIA on the inner sleeve I I1,

a recess I24 is formed in the outer sleeveI I I of sufficient diameter to accommodate the ring I20. For the purpose of manually turning the outer sleeve I I4 (for resetting purposes hereinafter described), a flange I22 is provided at its outer end having sockets I25 for a spanner.

In order to provide a. suitable braking action or drag on the outer sleeve H4 to prevent it from rotating except when desired, a friction brake may be provided. The friction brake includes brake ring 530 which surrounds the outer sleeve H4 and preferably'seats in a circumferential groove I34 to prevent displacement of the ring I30, a suitable brake lining I33 being provided. The brake ring I30 is formed with a lug or extension I3 I' having an opening through which the stud IIII loosely passes whereby the brake ring is non-rctatably connected to the member 86.,

For controlling the winch 25 suitable gearing (Fig. 3) is provided between the hand lever 25 and the gear I50. This gearing comprises a gear 28 mounted upon a shaft 29 also journaled in the framework 50. Shaft 29 has a second gear 30 meshing a gear 3| mounted on shaft 32 also journaled in the framework 56. Shaft 32 also has mounted'thereon a ratchet wheel 33 controlled by pawl 36 secured to pivoted spring-pressed pedal 21. Pawl 34' normally engages ratchet 33 and is 1 follows.

only disengaged therefrom when the operator depresses pedal 21.

The handle 26 for operating the winch 25 is also journaled on shaft 32 and carries a pawl 35 also engaging ratchet wheel 33. Pawl 35 is controlled'by a link 36 connected to spring-pressed thumb lever 31 which normally holds the pawl 35 in engagement with the ratchet 33. It will be understood that pawl 35 may be disengaged from ratchet wheel 33 by moving thumb lever 31 toward handle 26.

It will thus be seen that, when thumb lever 31 is pressed against its spring and when the foot engages pedal 21, the drum 6| is absolutely free to unwind line I8. To wind up line I8 on the drum 6|, foot pedal 21 is released and thumb lever 31 is released, and the pilot works lever 26 back and forth, winding up line I8. The gearing 28, 30 and 3| steps up the movement of drum 6| by hand lever 26 to reduce the number of strokes of hand lever 26 to reel in drum 6|.

The automatic operation of the winch 25 is as This occurs when force is applied to line I8 as during pick-up operations described hereinafter. During the pick-up operations the brake support is held stationary by pawls 34 and 35.

Upon the initial rotation of drum 6| with respect to brake support 80, the auxiliary friction applying devices 2I0, 2I2, 2I3 apply relatively light friction. As the drum 6| rotates, the machine threads on sleeves I I1, I14 cause the sleeve II to move outwardly, to the right in Fig. 4; shoulder II2 then engages ring I05 which applies force to springs I03. As sleeve II I travels further to the right in Fig. 4, force continues to be built up in springs I03 and correspondingly more force is applied to friction discs 92, 15 and SI. The force applied to the brake discs continues to increase until sleeve 4 abuts collar I20 which limits the build-up in friction to the set maximum amount, after which the drum 6| may continue to pay out line I8 but with constant maximum set friction,

The following illustrates one manner of operating and adjusting the automatic winch 25 prior to the picking up opertaion. Thumb lever 31 and foot pedal 21 are depressed to permit free paying out of line I8 to the desired extent.

After paying out the desired amount of line I8 to give the desired initial slack, the thumb lever 31 is released, the hand lever 26 is permitted to rest against stop 38, and the pilots foot is removed from pedal 21. This permits both pawls 34 and 35 to hold the brake support 80 stationary. The nuts 2I3 are adjusted to give the desired initial light braking effort to the drum 6|. The sleeve H4 is adjusted with respect to sleeve I51 to control the maximum braking effort itis desired to impart to the winch for the picking up operation (the sleeve II I having had its shoulder brought against collar I20 by a previous pick-up operation). justed on the sleeve H4 to adjust the clearance between ring I65 and shoulder II2 to determine the number of relatively free revolutions the drum 6| will make before starting to build up pressure on the springs I03. 7

Operation The sleeve III is ad- 7 Fig. i and the plane will approach the ground station is with the purpose of engaging the upper ply of ground loop ll with the boom ll above hook l2. The airplane, instead of flying at right angles to the plane of the poles I4, preferably flies at an angle to this surface to better enable the glider to clear poles. The glider is also located at some distance from the poles and out of line with a perpendicular extending from the plane of the poles and between the poles to give suificient leeway for the glider to clear the poles. The line It passes around anteriorly of the pole It to prevent fouling with the pole, as shown in Fig. 1.

After the hook l2 engages ground loop ll, it first takes the slack out of the ground loop and out of the line i8, then stretches the loop I? and line 13, this stretch applying a, force to the winch 25 to overcome its inertia. The stretch in the material of the ground loop H and of line it afiords time to permit the winch 25 to get rotating up to speed and the long elastic memory of this material avoids any slingshot or rebound caused by the energy stored up in the stretched lines I! and it suddenly releasing. The opera tion of the nylon line and its cooperation with the automatic winch is described and claimed in Plummer application, Serial No. 423,999, filed December 22, 1941.

The initial relatively free revolutions of the drum 6! assist in getting this drum up to speed and, after the drum gets up to speed, the automatic brake gradually applies braking friction to build up the braking force to the maximum amount for which the winch is set. This applies a controlled accelerating forceto the glider; the paying out of the winch 25 provides the necessary time interval in which to accelerate the glider from zero to the speed of the towing plane and the limited maximum force exerted by the brake impartsthe necessary accelerating force to the glider.

After the glider has been accelerated to the speed of the tow plane, the glider pilot may maneuver the glider into towing position. Since the amount of line payed out for the pick-up operation may be more than necessary or desirable for simple towing, the glider pilot may operate his winch to shorten the line.

In case it is desired to launch a series or train of gliders by the same towing plane while in flight, this may be done in two different ways. It may be done by attaching the gliders, one at a time, to a ground loop and picking up the gliders by repeated passes of the towplane over the ground station. Or, it may be done by connecting the entire series of gliders simultaneously to a single ground loop and picking up the entire series of gliders by one pass of the towing plane.

In carrying out the first method of launching a plurality of gliders, the first glider is launched as described above and illustrated in Fig. 1 and the glider is towed as illustrated in Fig. 2. Means man be provided for disconnecting the tow line 58 from the hook l2 and attaching the tow line to a desirable connection on the towing plane it. The pick-up arm or boom H is then lowered to the position shown in Fig. 1 preparatory for the second pass to pick up the second glider. The second glider is connected to a second ground loop l! on the same or similar ground poles l4 and the same towing plane i9 passes over and between the poles M and the hook l2 engages the upper ply of the second ground loop ii, launching the second glider l9 in a manner very similar to the launching of the first glider l9. However, the pilot of the first glider will so manipulate his. glider during the pick-up of the second glider as to reduce the drag of the first glider on the tow plane during the picking up operation so as to make available all of the power of the towing plane for the picking up of the second glider. After placing the second glider in flight, the line it will be disengaged from the hook l2 and the point of connection transferred to a desirable connection on the towing plane In the same as with the first glider, leaving the pick-up arm H free for picking up the third glider. The third glider will be picked up in the same way as the first and second gliders, provided that during the pick-up of the third glider the pilots of both the first and second gliders will manipulate their gliders to reduce the drag of the gliders on the towing plane during the pick-up operation. Thus, any number of glidersmay be picked up from the same ground station or similar ground stations by repeated passes of the same tow plane. After all of the gliders are launched, the glider pilots will manipulate their winches and otherwise maneuver to take any desired flight formation, one formation being illustrated in Figs. 6 and 7 wherein Fig. 6 illustrates a plan view and Fig. 7 an elevation of the formation.

While the operation has been described as contemplating a series of separate approaches for each pick-up, it is understood that the ground stations may be so arranged as to permit a series of pick-ups on one approach. Further, a glider train may be built up from different fields as the plane proceeds on its course.

To pick up the entire series of gliders by a single'pass of the tow plane over the ground station l3, a single ground loop I! supported by poles I4 may be provided and the several. gliders to be launched will be arranged on the field of the ground station in some such manner as'illustrated in Fig. 5, the several gliders being indicated A, B, C, D, E and F. Each glider will have its separate connecting line 18 connected to the same ground loop H. The gliders will preferably be located to one side of the space defined by lines extending from the poles and perpendicular to the plane thereof, and the loop I? and line l8 will pass interiorly of the poles 54 as indicated; and the tow plane will fly at such an oblique angle to the plane of the poles as not to foul the lines.

The several connecting lines I8 will have slack corresponding to the order in which the gliders are to be launched. The glider having the minimum slack line (for example A) will be launched first, the glider having the second least slack line (for example B) will be launched second, and so on. As the tow plane l0 engages the ground loop H, the slack will first be taken out of the line to glider A and that glider launched in very much the same way as launching a single glider from the same ground station. The several lengths of connecting line ill will be so arranged that after the first glider has obtained flying position, the slack in the tow line of the second glider to be launched will be taken up and the launching force will be exerted on it. During the launching of the second glider B, the pilot of the first glider will maneuver his glider in such way as to reduce the drag of the first glider on the towing plane. After the second glider is launched, the slack in the line connecting the third glider C will be taken up and the third glider will be launched in the same way as the 9 other two, except that during the launching operation of the third glider, the pilots of the first and second gliders will maneuver their gliders in the air to reduce their drag on the towing plane and so on. This launching technique is followed until all of the gliders are launched, after which each glider pilot will maneuver his glider to the desired formation operating his winch to take up the slack and otherwise manipulate the controls to put his glider in the proper position, one of such formations being illustrated in Figs. 6 and 7.

The gliders may also be launched by a tow plane starting from rest on the ground. As done heretofore, this would have required a relatively large airport as the drag of the glider would be on the airplane during its entire period of acceleration. By the present method the glider drag does not come on until the airplane has reached flying speed or approximately flying speed.

Referring to Fig. 8, the single glider I9 is connected to tow plane It! by a line 2l8, this line having suflicient slack for the launching operation. The tow plane I may actually be located considerably in back of glider l9 instead of as shown. The tow plane ll) is taxied along the field until it obtains the speed at which it is desired to launch the glider. Gliders are customarily designed to fly at a considerably lower speed than power planes. Large gliders, for example, will require a speed of say 50 M. P. H. to fly while smaller gliders will fly at lower speeds. Tow planes, on the other hand, will generally require a great deal higher speed. Further, the heavier tow plane requires a greater run to accelerate to its flying speed than does the glider. glider may start to fly while the towing plane is still on the ground. The tow plane, still taxiing, will further accelerate its speed until it reaches a speed high enough to permit it (the tow plane) to fly, at which time the glider pilot will manipulate the glider in such way as to reduce drag of the glider on the tow plane. The tow plane will then start to fly and accelerate above its critical speed. After the tow plane reaches safe flying speed, the glider pilot will maneuver the glider back into towing position.

To launch a series of gliders by the same tow plane starting from rest on the ground, the additional gliders will be connected to the same tow plane it by additional lines 218 of sufficient length to permit the gliders to take ofi, one at a time. If desired, all of the several gliders may be accelerated to flying speed in succession, before the tow plane leaves the ground, each glider pilot manipulating his glider to reduce the glider drag on the tow plane while another glider is being accelerated to flying speed and all of the glider pilots manipulating all of the gliders to reduce the glider drag on the tow plane while the tow plane is taking off from the ground and attaining its critical flying speed. After the tow plane attains safe flying speed, the pilots of the several gliders will maneuver them into towing position in any desired formation as, for example, the formation illustrated in Figs. 6 and 7.

In some cases, it may be desirable to permit the towing plane to attain safe flying speed after launching the first glider, after which the second and successive gliders will be launched, one by one, while the tow plane is flying at above its critical speed. With this launchin technique, as in the previous launching techniques, the pilot of each glider already launched will maneuver his glider to reduce the glider drag from the tow plane while another glider is being launched:

Thus, the

Thus, glider launching systems have been described which are useful both for war and for peace. The gliders may comprise single place gliders or multi-place troop transports or cargo carrying gliders. The methods utilizing the ground station and the ground loop are of advantage where the fields are so small as not to provide space to accelerate an entire glider train from rest to flying speed by means of an airplane taxiing on the ground. The location of the winch in the glider permits the pick-up of a plurality of gliders by the same tow plane and permits each glider pilot to manipulate the winch of his lider as required by the particular plan of pickup and the particular towing formation. The use of nylon line for both the ground loop and connecting line gives sufficient time in which to overcome the inertia of the winch and the automatic brake on the winch gradually applies accelerating force to the glider to give the desired rate of acceleration. The nylon, having a long elastic memory, does not immediately return the energy stored up in it by its stretch due to the initial stress, but returns this energy gradually without causing any over-shooting or slingshot action.

While certain novel features of the invention have been disclosed herein, and are pointed out in the annexed claims, it will be understood that various omissions, substitutions and changes may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. In a glider launching system, a plurality of stationary gliders to be launched, line pay-out devices in said gliders, a tow plane, and separate lines individally connecting said tow plane and the several pay-out devices.

2. In a glider launching system, a plurality of stationary gliders to .be launched, line pay-out devices in said gliders, a tow craft, and lines connecting said tow craft and said pay-out devices.

3. The method of launching a plurality of gliders by the same craft, which comprises establishing connection between said craft and said gliders, imparting motion to said craft, arranging said connections to exert accelerating force on said gliders, one at a time, and manipulating the launched gliders to reduce drag of the gliders on the tow plane while launching an additional glider. A

4. The method of launching a plurality of gliders by the same tow plane, which comprises establishing connection between said plane and said gliders, arranging said connections to exert accelerating force on said gliders, one at a time, and manipulating the launched gliders to reduce drag of the gliders on the tow plane while launching an additional glider.

5. In a pick-up apparatus for picking up a plurality of grounded gliders by an aircraft in flight, a ground station comprising a releasable ground loop, a plurality of gliders on the ground, line pay-out winches on the several gliders, lines individually connecting said loop and said winches, a pick-up plane and means on said plane for engaging said ground loop as the plane flies over said ground station.

. 6. The method of launching a series of gliders by the same flying tow plane, which comprises locating the plurality of gliders on an airfield, providing a pick-up device on said field and connecting said pick-up device by progressively increasing lengths of line to the several gliders, flying the tow plane over the field, engaging said pick-up device by said tow plane and thereby accelerating the first glider to flying speed, manipulating said first glider to reduce the drag thereof on the tow plane as the tow line to the second glider tightens and thereby accelerates the second glider to flying speed, manipulating both said first and second gliders to reduce the drag thereof on said tow plane as the tow line to the third glider tightens and thereby accelerates said third glider to flyin speed, repeating the sequence of steps until all 'of the gliders in the series are launched, and thereafter simultaneously towing all of said gliders by said tow plane.

7. In a glider pick-11p system comprising a ground station having a releasable loop, the method of launching a plurality of gliders which comprises connectin a first glider to said loop, engaging said loop by a tow plane passing over the ground station and thereby launching the glider, connecting a second glider to a second loop and engaging said second loop by said same tow plane as it passes over said ground station and thereby launchin said second glider, and manipulating said first glider to reduce the load thereof on the tow plane while pickin up said second glider.

8. The method of launching a plurality of gliders by a plane initially at rest, which comprises connecting lines from said plane to said gliders, operating the plane to launch said gliders,

one at a time, arranging both the unlaunched gliders and those already launched to reduce their drag on the tow plane while a glider is being launched. g

9. In pick-up apparatus for picking up a glider by an aircraft in flight, a ground station comprising a releasable ground loop, a glider, an auto-'- matic winch in said glider said winch comprising a frame, a reel journale'd in said frame, a line wound on said reel, a brake support also journaied in said frame, variable braking devices between said reel and said support, means for puttin said braking devices into operation by unwinding said line from said reel, a hand lever and means for manually winding said line on said reelby operation of said hand lever.

l0; In an aircraft launching system, a first or launching aircraft, a second aircraft to be launched, an automatic winch in said second aircraft, said winch comprising afrain'e, a reel journaled in said frame, a launching line wound on said reel and connected to the launching aircraft, a brake support also journaled in saidfrarne, braking devices between said re'el and said support operable to provide variable braking effect, and means for putting'said braking device into operation where by unwinding said line from said reel is effective to produce increased braking efiect.

ARTHUR B. SCHULTZ. 

